Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy underwent Tommy John surgery in June last year. It sounds like he is starting to make some real progress on the long road back to the Oriole rotation. MASN’s Roch Kubatko reports that Bundy threw from 150 feet earlier today. Manager Buck Showalter was enthused:

“That went real well,” Showalter said. “It’s going as well as you could hope for.”

If Bundy continues making progress, he could push his timetable forward slightly. As of right now, the 21-year-old is on track to begin rehabbing in May and could rejoin the Orioles some time in June. The Orioles aren’t waiting around, as they have indicated interest in free agent starter Ervin Santana.

Bundy, the Orioles’ first-round pick in the 2011 draft (fourth overall), didn’t play at all in 2013. In the year prior, he impressed in his first taste of pro ball, posting a 2.08 ERA in 103 2/3 innings between Single-A Delmarva and Frederick and Double-A Bowie. Bundy had a brief taste of the big leagues at the end of September, allowing just a walk and a hit in 1 2/3 innings.

Baltimore is just chock full of good news these days! And yet… The O’s are still a wild card spot at best. Not that there’s anything at this juncture that could be done to put them over the top (Morales would help but not much), but it’s fair to say in order to stand a chance we need things like a return by Bundy, Gausman shining, Reimold staying healthy etc… Essentially the 2012 O’s luck needs to come back. Here’s to wishful thinking!

It is way to early to predict what kind of season that the Orioles will have. A lot of things can become chief factors during the season. The eastern division can change because of trades, injuries , all among possabile scenarios. Clearly, we need to let the season play out.